I just received this beautiful Wolf from Bob Fishman (augustwest1) today. I am in awe of the shear beauty of this instrument. I have 5 custom Alembics and can say that Bob's skills as a luthier and the artistry of this instrument are every bit as good as anything I've ever received from the good folks in Santa Rosa. I'm especially blown away by the exquisite marquetry underneath the fretboard on either side. That, coupled with the extensive wood inlay work throughout the guitar, pretty much eclipses anything Alembic has made for me as far as the intricacy of a build is concerned.

As I told Bob, plunking down this kind of money on a guitar built by someone you've never heard of, based solely on pictures from the Garage Sale section of an Internet Grateful Dead Forum takes quite a leap of faith...especially in this day and age. I honestly had little idea of what to expect when I opened the case.

I can't say enough good things about this guitar or the unparalleled skill of the man who crafted it. All I can say is that if anyone is looking for a Wolf (or any other guitar I imagine), you'd be hard pressed to find a more gifted luthier or true gentleman than Bob.

Last edited by jalevinemd on Sat Dec 29, 2018 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I bought the first one offered up here I believe and it was a leap of faith buying method for sure...and I didn’t already own an arsenal of high end, hand built guitars when I pulled the trigger. I’ve been using various Jerrified Strats and Schecters that I modded myself for years. So this was my first custom not customized by yours truly. Those guitars got the job done but there is a difference folks. It makes it easy to understand why Jerry migrated from Strats to instruments built like these. Anyway...a year and a half later, I’m still just as pleased with its performance and beauty. Everywhere it goes, people are awestruck...both Jerry enthusiasts and people who have no idea what the “wolf” is or was. I personally haven’t had my hands on one made by any of the big name builders, but I can’t imagine it being any better and certainly not twice the price better. I also think it’s important to add that you won’t find a nicer guy to do business with. Bob was completely honest, prompt, cool and way too humble about his work from start to finish. Keep up the good work Bob!

I have had Bob's Wolf now for about two weeks. I know I commented on the quality of his building skills, but I feel the need to reiterate this point. Czyfingers mentioned that he can't imagine one of the bigger name builders of Jerry style guitars being "twice the price better." I couldn't agree more. But try three or four times the price. I love every one of my Alembics and the folks in Santa Rosa as well. They've become wonderful friends the past fifteen or so years. However, there are certain guitars I wouldn't have them build for me because the price would be more than I would be willing to spend on guitars like these. Knowing what the base model Further costs and having somewhat of an idea of the price of various inlay work, I would guess that for Alembic to build this exact guitar (if they'd even agree) with the eagle headstock inlay, the wolf inlay, the fretboard inlays, the maple and purpleheart stringers along the sides of the fretboard as well as the marquetry work under the fretboard, would be in the neighborhood of $20,000.

I have included some closeups of the wood work of Bob's Wolf and two of my Alembics. The telltale hippie sandwich recipe of Wolf aside, I would challenge anyone to guess which guitar was made by Bob and which were made by Alembic. The man is truly gifted.

Last edited by jalevinemd on Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.